Nick SCANDONE and Maureen MCKINNON-TUCKER of the USA clinched the first gold medal of the 2008 Paralympic Sailing Competition in the SKUD18 event after another dominant performance in today's races.

The American pair of Nick SCANDONE and Maureen MCKINNON-TUCKER have the gold medal wrapped up with two races of the Two-Person Keelboat - SKUD18 event still to go thanks to their incredible consistency through the week. With two races remaining and each team able to exclude two race scores, the worst points total they can record is 12 points, making it impossible for second-place John MCROBERTS and Stacie LOUTTIT of Canada to overhaul them.

SCANDONE and MCKINNON-TUCKER proved unstoppable again today with two more race wins cementing them in the gold medal position. They have five victories from the eight races sailed so far with three other top-three finishes. The pair plan to race tomorrow, the last day of the regatta, even though they have already secured the gold medals.

"It's almost hard to believe," said SCANDONE, incredulously. "I won't feel like it's real until the gold medal is placed around my neck."

"I feel exhausted, very satisfied and somewhat overwhelmed all at the same time," SCANDONE added. "It's been such a long road to get here," he said. "It's emotionally overwhelming for me to finally realize my goal."

For SCANDONE, this gold medal is everything he has dreamed of and worked hard to achieve. As his condition progressed from ALS, a neurodegenerative disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, it became increasingly more difficult to train and compete. There were days filled with doubt, but he met each obstacle with the same strength and determination he had as a young, able-bodied sailor. "This is something I've strived for since I was 20 years old, when I was trying to go for gold in the 470 class. Now, to reach that goal," he said, "it's hard to describe in words."

Mary-Kate SCANDONE has supported her husband every step of his Olympic and Paralympic journey, through the accomplishments and the adversity and through the enthusiasm and exhaustion. "I have seen struggles behind the scenes that were so tremendous to overcome," she said. "It was so hard to just get here. There were many times Nick doubted he was going to make it to China."

"I feel so much joy that he has achieved this goal," she added. "Now it's time to go home and rest."

This is a bittersweet moment for the couple. "It's everything we've been fighting for," said Mary-Kate. "Sailing and his [Paralympic] goal has kept him alive." In an emotional moment, Mary-Kate thanked the designer of Nick's boat "because he gave me four more years with my husband," she said.

Nick SCANDONE credits a team of people who have assisted him in reaching his Paralympic goals. "This gold medal is not only for me and Maureen," he said. "It's for all the other people who have helped me along the way, from my yacht club to family and friends who have supported me throughout my venture."

Behind the American pair it looks set to be a very close fight between the Canadians MCROBERTS and LOUTTIT and the Australian team of Dan FITZGIBBON and Rachael COX for the silver medal. Both had mixed fortunes in today's two races with the Canadians initially seizing the advantage with a second to the Aussies' ninth in race seven. However, FITZGIBBON and COX fought back with a third in race eight, whilst MCROBERTS and LOUTTIT dropped to eight. These leaves the Canadians second overall on 18 points, one ahead of the Aussies. In fourth place overall on 34 points, Britain's Alexandra RICKHAM and Niki BIRRELL have a lot of ground to make up if they are to challenge for a medal.

Tom Burton (AUS) and Alison Young (GBR) hit the right note in the Laser and Laser Radial at ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne as they took out the top honours and qualification spots to the 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Final.

It was double Australian gold in the Paralympic classes. Matt Bugg (AUS) came out on top in the 2.4mR whilst London 2012 Paralympic SKUD18 gold medallists Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch (AUS) were triumphant in the two person keelboat.

Lithuania's Juozas Bernotas came out on top in the Men's RS:X whilst Russia's Stefania Elfutina was triumphant in the Women's RS:X. Both sailors claim the first Abu Dhabi ISAF Sailing World Cup Final spots whilst Jock Calvert (AUS) and Joanna Sterling (AUS) picked up the Oceanic spots for the Emirati finale.

There was some fast paced action in the 49er and 49erFX Medal Races at ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne as Nathan Outteridge & Iain Jensen (AUS) and Maia & Ragna Agerup (NOR) claimed the honours and Abu Dhabi final spots.

A tight group of five young Papua New Guinean (PNG) Laser sailors are stepping up their 2015 Pacific Games competition program using this week's ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne. PNG is one of 33 countries represented at the important Oceanic event, the largest Olympic sailing regatta in the southern hemisphere.

Melbourne, Australia will host the final Rio 2016 Paralympic Games qualification regatta in 2015. With just under one year until the event, the 2015 IFDS Worlds was launched at ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne.

ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne kick starts the journey to the 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates with qualification spots and top ranking points available in the Australian city.

Four boats in the Volvo Ocean Race celebrated rounding the venerated landmark of Cape Horn on Monday, a pleasure cruelly denied Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA) after the Chinese boat's mast was broken early in a dramatic day on Leg 5.

The wind played dirty tricks all day in Palma on the sailors and race committees who had to juggle with big shifts and different pressure. From 4 to 20 knots, and reaching 40 in some gusts, the wind turned around the bay playing with everybody's nerves.

Ghosting across the line in the inky blackness of a Mediterranean spring night, finally slicing through the finish line set on the very waters where some 40 odd years ago he cut his teeth as a young, aspiring sailor harbouring great dreams, at 01:47:00hrs local time Guillermo Altadill and his talented, ever reliable Chilean co-skipper Jose Muñoz secured second placed in this third edition of the Barcelona World Race, the round the world race for two crew which left the Catalan capital on December 31st 2014.

Algoa Bay brought lighter conditions on Sunday, and after a postponement waiting for the wind to settle, the race got underway in 7 knots of breeze from the south-east. Ted Conrads and Brian Haines from the USA were the pathfinders, and opened up the gate for the fleet as they sailed out to the right-hand side of the course.